Mayfield indicted on meth charges

JENNA-LEY HARRISON
Staff Writer
A former NASCAR legend found himself in hotter waters this week after a grand jury indicted him on meth charges following his drug arrest last week in Catawba County with assistance from Lincoln County Sheriffâ€™s narcotics officers.
Jeremy Allen Mayfield, of Catawba, N.C., was indicted Monday for possession of methamphetamine, Capt. Joel Fish, head of Catawba County Sheriffâ€™s Office Criminal Investigation Division, said.
However, Mayfield has yet to be charged for the thousands of dollars in stolen trucking equipment and other items that authorities located on his property earlier this month.
Mayfield allegedly aided in stealing the equipment from at least two Lincolnton businesses, Lee Boy, Inc., and Larry Grant, Inc., in fall 2010, and from other various locations in Mooresville, according to both Fish and Lincoln County Sheriffâ€™s Office authorities.
Hickory and Mooresville police aided Lincoln and Catawba County deputies in issuing a search warrant at Mayfieldâ€™s property on Nov. 1.
During the search, authorities seized $100,000 in stolen items along with 1.5-grams of methamphetamine, a â€œuserâ€ amount not a trafficking amount of the drug, deputies noted.
The former racer was officially hit with the drug charge later that night, authorities said, and was ordered to pay a $3,000 unsecured bond.
Several guns were also confiscated â€œas part of the felony drug possession,â€ Fish said. Authorities are currently checking the weapons and have not filed any criminal charges associated with them at this time.
Itâ€™s also not the first time Mayfieldâ€™s been accused of illegal drug use. He was ousted from the sportsâ€™ world in 2009 after failing a drug test prior to an upcoming race.
With regard to the stolen property, Capt. Fish noted that thereâ€™s still much investigating to do, and Mayfield could be hit with additional charges in the future.
â€œA person has to know or have reason to believe that the property he possesses is stolen to be guilty of the crime,â€ he said. â€œWe have to finish putting that together.â€
He also said that the Lincoln County Sheriffâ€™s Office and Mooresville Police Department are both in the process of determining how the property was taken to Mayfieldâ€™s home.
â€œWe plan to complete the investigation and submit it to the District Attorneyâ€™s Office for review,â€ Fish said.
An official copy of the search warrant was leaked to area news media outlets the end of last week.
Local news sites are also reporting that Mayfield is in trouble with the federal government, owing more than $80,000 in taxes. He also faces foreclosure on his home which is still partially in the construction phase, according to an article on WBTVâ€™s website.
Catawba County authorities noted that no future court appearance has been scheduled for Mayfield at this time.
For a timeline of Mayfieldâ€™s career wins, visit msn.foxsports.com.